Maybe it was a new car that you were working hard to save enough money to buy.

Or, maybe you hungered to be the best at something.

Joe Strouse and David Godwin know that type of hunger and applied the name to the paddle boards they design and produce for others who have a hunger for being on the water.

"It's a competitive hunger and the flame that keeps you going," said Strouse.

The 14-foot Hungry Boards are designed for stand-up paddle boarding.

Strouse said what makes Hungry Boards different from other boards is their wider width, which makes SUPing easier. He adds that the boards are lighter, which makes them easier to carry when taking them inland to lakes and rivers.

Strouse grew up in the Navarre/Gulf Breeze area and has lived in Santa Rosa Beach for more than 20 years. He has worked as a contract pilot all his adult life and owned a small charter airline company in Wyoming for a while.

After moving back here, Strouse wanted to move from the air to the water.

He had skied, surfed, and played on the water all his life, always on boards. But, he realized that he couldn't surf here all the time — but he could paddle surf all the time. So, he gave it a shot and discovered he liked it a lot.

But, he kept looking at the SUP boards and seeing things he would do differently to make them better if he were making them. So, he decided to design and produce his own SUP boards.

He established Hungry Boards in 2010.

"To keep the weight down we use a lot of wood grain and bamboo, which lends an old-world feel in a new sport," he said. "What makes us different is we steadily try to make ours lighter and stronger using carbon fiber, which is a light-weight and heavy duty like fiberglass. We're lighter and using less volume, which gives a buoyancy."

Hungry Boards are currently offered in six different designs plus two race board designs for SUP racing, although he has not had a board in a race yet.

"We hope to test it soon," said Strouse. "Although we're not niching ourselves in the race department."

Hungry Board pricing begins in the mid $800 range and moves up to $2,000 and above.

From his showroom in Santa Rosa Village Shopping Center next to 98 Barbecue, those who have a hunger for the water can rent paddleboards and sign up for SUP lessons and guided adventures.

The store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the winter and closed on Sundays. During the summer, the shop is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.